


Master to Student

by danceswithhamsters01



Series: Reddit Prompts 2: Because the old one is quite full [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Apprenticeship, Gen, Mage Adaar - Freeform, Mention of the Valo-kas, Mentor/Protégé, Mentors, Pre-Canon, Short, Tal'Vashoth mentor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26401786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceswithhamsters01/pseuds/danceswithhamsters01
Summary: based on a prompt from r/dragonagePrompt 6: Visual Prompt - https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a2/f8/1d/a2f81db6a3fae6c743ef5f835e1dee6c.jpgYoung Karlo Adaar is traveling with his mentor, the Tal'Vasoth saarebas of the Valo-kas mercenary company, Asaara. They stop by a town to pick up something under cover of night.
Series: Reddit Prompts 2: Because the old one is quite full [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918846
Kudos: 1





	Master to Student

“Are you sure about this, Asaara?” the younger of the pair of grey giant folk asked his elder.

The great horned woman stopped and turned, a twitch of her lips bringing one corner of her mouth up into a smirk, a movement that disturbed the nearly-perfect symmetry of her yellow vitaar. “Calm yourself, imekari. This supplier… is an old friend of mine. And yes, I am sure about this. The materials he has access to are worth it. He has not once let me down in the years I’ve known him.” She gave his shoulder an affectionate pat before turning and resuming their journey.

The bare-faced younger saarebas frowned for a moment before quickly moving to catch up to his mentor. It was well after nightfall, the sky lit up by one of the moons that had nearly waxed to full. It wasn’t the first time he and his mentor had waited for the cloak of darkness before going near a human-controlled city to go conduct business. Karlo wasn’t a stranger to being stared at; most of the Valo-kas were of the same race of horned grey people that easily towered over humans, elves, and dwarves. Outsiders flung the word “qunari” around when describing them. He’d learned not to take the word so personally, even if those people were utterly wrong. Qunari were followers of the Qun and none of the Valo-kas were adherents. They were Tal’Vashoth, but that wasn’t a word many humans bothered to remember. Well, the adults were. Karlo had been born into freedom, something hard-won by his parents.

Asaara held a hand upward, signaling for him to come to a stop. Karlo gave his mind a quick imaginary shake to clear it of his previous ruminations. They were on the edges of one of the outlying estates, it looked to be in a state of disrepair and overgrown. The young man found himself doing a double-take. How had he missed that form in creepy-looking robes? He suspected they were a human male, but they had their hood up. What concerned him most was the staff topped with a metal crescent resting in their left hand. He could feel the staff’s power whispering just along the edge of his magic-sensing. Was this a friend or foe?

“Long time no see, Asaara,” the figure drawled before lowering their hood, revealing himself to be a human man with salt-and-pepper hair and a mostly-white beard that was woven into dozens of little braids capped off with beads. “Who is this fellow with you, hm?” The man cast his gaze over to Karlo.

Asaara chuckled and flicked her auburn braid over her shoulder. “My apprentice.”

The man’s brushy brows rose in surprise. “Has it really been so long? My, how time simply flies when you’re not paying attention.” He shook his head with a chuckle.

“Do you have it?” the woman asked. While her folded arms could’ve been mistaken for impatience, the smirk on her face revealed otherwise.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He dug into the pack sitting near his feet and produced a thick tome with metal adorning each corner of the cover. “When I got your note, I thought that perhaps nostalgia had overtaken you.”

His mentor snorted as she took hold of the prize. “The only thing I dreaded more was that damned language primer you insisted I study before you’d even let me touch a book like this.”

“Ah, but it was for your own good,” the strange mage said with a smile. “One misread or mispronounced word in a spell can be disastrous. Not all magic is as simple as calling flames to your fingertips. You know this, my dear.” Turning his gaze back to the apprentice, “How is his grasp on the language?” he asked.

“Adaar is fluent in Trade. It’s his mother tongue,” she answered for him.

The human nodded. “Ah, the lad’s a vashoth, then? Has he learned any Tevene, yet? I could scare up a primer for him to study. The more interesting magical tomes are usually from the Imperium originally.” He held up a hand, “And no, before your start, they are not about blood magic. Even I’m not foolish enough to dip my toes into that stuff.”

Asaara chuckled. “Learning to speak and read Vint will have to be up to him. For now, what he needs most is learning the basics beyond hurling fire at things until they die.”

Karlo felt a tiny spike of indignation. “Shok likes it when I burn stuff!”

His mentor shook her head and sighed. “Yes, but not every problem can be answered with just the right amount of fire magic. Do you want to be a one-note-wonder, boy?” She smirked when he didn’t answer after several moments. “Sometimes, you need a battering ram, and sometimes just an arrow will do. It’s the same principle with magic.”

The elders stood and spoke for a while after coin was exchanged. Karlo stood off to the side watching, stewing in a mix of displeasure and boredom. Where did they get off lording spells over him? Eventually, the human took his leave and vanished into the overgrown estate.

“You’re wearing that look, imekari.”

“What look?”

“Like you got the last dregs of the barrel only to find it was even nastier than the rest of the stuff.” She pressed the book into his hands. “Keep this safe, this is going to be your new buddy. You’re going to study it until you can recite it in your sleep. Come on now, we need to get back to camp.”

After stuffing the book into his pack, he hurried to catch up to Asaara. “Who was that guy, anyway?”

“My old mentor,” she answered without bothering to look at him. “He used to be a merc as well. He retired from the life not long after he was done training me.”


End file.
